Thu, Jul 18, 2013 - Page 10

A giant lizard that lived 40 million years ago has been named in honor of rock singer Jim Morrison, palaeontologists say.

Around 180cm from snout to tail and tipping the scales at up to 27kg, the plant-eating reptile is one of the biggest-known lizards ever to have lived on land. It competed with mammals for food in the humid tropical forests of Southeast Asia.

“We think the warm climate during the late-middle Eocene period allowed the evolution of a large body size and the ability of plant-eating lizards to successfully compete in mammal faunas,” said Jason Head of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln, who led the analysis.

The palaeontologists have named the long-extinct species Barbaturex morrisoni — “Barbaturex” means “bearded king” — after the team found ridges on the underside of the jaw that give lizards a beard-like appearance. “Morrisoni” is in tribute to The Doors frontman Morrison, famed for his fascination with reptiles and shamanism.

“I was listening to The Doors quite a bit during research,” said Head. “Some of their musical imagery includes reptiles and ancient places, and Jim Morrison was of course the Lizard King, so it kind of came together.”